Subject of probe is world body chief!

OUR BUREAU

Calcutta: Even as his Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) future continues to be under a cloud, Narayanswamy Srinivasan was Thursday formally appointed the chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC) after its 52-member council approved a controversial revamp of the body’s administrative structure.

The full council approved the amendments to the ICC’s Memorandum and Articles of Association at the Annual Conference, in Melbourne.

Srinivasan, the effectively suspended president of the Indian board, had been nominated by the BCCI for the top position and will assume charge following the conclusion of the ICC Annual Conference week.

Though the Supreme Court of India had barred Srinivasan from functioning as the BCCI head, it didn’t interfere in his nomination to the ICC post. The apex court had refused to hear a plea filed by Aditya Verma, secretary of the Cricket Association of Bihar, during the summer vacation.

Srinivasan thus became the third Indian to head the ICC after Jagmohan Dalmiya and Sharad Pawar.

While many in the cricketing fraternity and beyond might question Srinivasan’s appointment to the post because of him being under a probe (by the Justice Mukul Mudgal committee, in the IPL corruption case), the man himself has insisted that his conscience is clear.

Srinivasan has also said that ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) has done “extremely good work” to combat corruption.

The approval of the constitutional changes, which flowed from an ICC Board resolution taken in Singapore on February 8 and finalised on April 10, also means that a new executive committee was formed, which will report to the ICC Board.

As expected, the initial chair of the executive committee will be Cricket Australia’s chairman, Wally Edwards, while the chair of the ICC’s finance and commercial affairs committee will continue to be England and Wales Cricket Board’s chairman, Giles Clarke.

From 2016, the ICC Board, which will continue to be the primary decision-making body, will elect the ICC chairman for a two-year term.

The Annual Conference also saw Bangladesh’s Mustafa Kamal become the 11th president of ICC.

“This is a memorable and historic day for Bangladesh cricket. On this day 14 years ago, Bangladesh became the 10th Test playing country. Today, a Bangladeshi becomes the 11th president of the ICC. Thank you for bestowing this honour on Bangladesh and me,” Kamal said.

The ICC Board also confirmed that the USA Cricket Association is the ICC’s recognised member in the USA. The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and ICC management will, however, continue to work with USACA and other interested stakeholders to assist in overcoming some challenges currently facing the governance and development of the game in the USA.